A good thriller works best when it keeps its proverbial cards hidden, which is to say, by keeping viewers in the dark about vital information to toy with their expectations involving the narrative—only to drop it in the most pivotal moment, which makes the experience feel worthwhile. The deliberate delay heightens the tension and pokes at the audience’s curiosity for just long enough to be complemented by a satisfying twist or cathartic moment. Unfortunately, John Rosman’s thriller New Life takes the majority of the movie to hold on to the surprise, which turns out to be more bewildering and nonsensical than surprising. Additionally, not giving enough space to flesh out the characters makes the connection with the audience nonexistent as well, resulting in a rancid thriller that neither thrills nor shocks.
The creative drawbacks feel even more disappointing after realizing that the plot of New Life could...
The creative drawbacks feel even more disappointing after realizing that the plot of New Life could...
- 5/6/2024
- by Siddhartha Das
- Film Fugitives
Stars: Hayley Erin, Sonya Walger, Tony Amendola, Jeb Berrier, Blaine Palmer, Betty Moyer, Ayanna Berkshire | Written and Directed by John Rosman
Since making its debut at last year’s Fantasia Film Festival, New Life has garnered a lot of attention for its first-time writer/director John Rosman and his potentially apocalyptic chase film. I missed it during its festival run, but on the eve of its American release, I got my chance to rectify that and see if it lived up to its hype.
It starts like a conventional thriller, with a bloodied woman slipping through the streets of what looks like a typical American suburb, trying to avoid being seen. She lets herself into her house and cleans herself up. She barely managed to wash and change before she sees armed men in her kitchen. She lets herself out a window and, since they apparently never learned about guarding a perimeter,...
Since making its debut at last year’s Fantasia Film Festival, New Life has garnered a lot of attention for its first-time writer/director John Rosman and his potentially apocalyptic chase film. I missed it during its festival run, but on the eve of its American release, I got my chance to rectify that and see if it lived up to its hype.
It starts like a conventional thriller, with a bloodied woman slipping through the streets of what looks like a typical American suburb, trying to avoid being seen. She lets herself into her house and cleans herself up. She barely managed to wash and change before she sees armed men in her kitchen. She lets herself out a window and, since they apparently never learned about guarding a perimeter,...
- 5/3/2024
- by Jim Morazzini
- Nerdly
Fifteen minutes into John Rosman’s elegantly scripted and emotionally harrowing debut feature, New Life, you’re wired into the psyche of Jessica Murdock, a young woman fleeing an unspecified old life and grappling with primitive elements of survival: where to sleep and what to eat. And, within a few scenes, where to live, find a job and rebuild. In her impressive feature debut, a fierce Hayley Erin brings both a feral intensity as well as a wary calm to these moments, which are of the sort found in many independent films dealing with women leaving bad relationships, or of those searching […]
The post “As Much As I Want to Explore a Character, I Can’t Lose Sight of Those Thriller Elements”: John Rosman on His Horror Drama Hybrid, New Life first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “As Much As I Want to Explore a Character, I Can’t Lose Sight of Those Thriller Elements”: John Rosman on His Horror Drama Hybrid, New Life first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 5/3/2024
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Fifteen minutes into John Rosman’s elegantly scripted and emotionally harrowing debut feature, New Life, you’re wired into the psyche of Jessica Murdock, a young woman fleeing an unspecified old life and grappling with primitive elements of survival: where to sleep and what to eat. And, within a few scenes, where to live, find a job and rebuild. In her impressive feature debut, a fierce Hayley Erin brings both a feral intensity as well as a wary calm to these moments, which are of the sort found in many independent films dealing with women leaving bad relationships, or of those searching […]
The post “As Much As I Want to Explore a Character, I Can’t Lose Sight of Those Thriller Elements”: John Rosman on His Horror Drama Hybrid, New Life first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “As Much As I Want to Explore a Character, I Can’t Lose Sight of Those Thriller Elements”: John Rosman on His Horror Drama Hybrid, New Life first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 5/3/2024
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Sonya Walger in New Life. Courtesy of Brainstorm Media
New Life is a drama that opens with a young woman, Jessie (Hayley Erin), running through the woods, head bleeding. She’s obviously escaping from someone or something, but we won’t find out why she’s in this pickle until about halfway through the film. What we next learn is that she’s trying to flee to safety in Canada. Meanwhile, some unidentified entity with extensive resources hires a first-rate tracker (Sonya Walger) to catch her before she can get to the border. Walger doesn’t learn who she’s actually working for or why they are so hell-bent on catching her until well into the film when we do.
Jessie seems like a nice young woman to viewers and to all she meets in her northward journey through rural areas. There’s suspense in who will help or harm her,...
New Life is a drama that opens with a young woman, Jessie (Hayley Erin), running through the woods, head bleeding. She’s obviously escaping from someone or something, but we won’t find out why she’s in this pickle until about halfway through the film. What we next learn is that she’s trying to flee to safety in Canada. Meanwhile, some unidentified entity with extensive resources hires a first-rate tracker (Sonya Walger) to catch her before she can get to the border. Walger doesn’t learn who she’s actually working for or why they are so hell-bent on catching her until well into the film when we do.
Jessie seems like a nice young woman to viewers and to all she meets in her northward journey through rural areas. There’s suspense in who will help or harm her,...
- 4/30/2024
- by Mark Glass
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The return of a fan favorite franchise, the critically acclaimed new movie from a modern day genre visionary, and a slasher from the perspective of the Jason Voorhees-like killer.
It’s all headed our way in the coming weeks. And it’s only the tip of the iceberg…
Here’s all the new horror releasing in theaters and at home in May 2024!
For daily reminders about new horror releases, be sure to follow @HorrorCalendar.
I Saw The TV Glow – May 3 (Limited), May 17 (Wide)
Fresh off the haunting and singularly creepy indie We’re All Going to the World’s Fair, Jane Schoenbrun is back with A24‘s I Saw the TV Glow, releasing only in theaters May 3.
In I Saw the TV Glow, “Owen is just trying to make it through life in the suburbs when his classmate introduces him to a mysterious TV show — a vision of a supernatural world beneath their own.
It’s all headed our way in the coming weeks. And it’s only the tip of the iceberg…
Here’s all the new horror releasing in theaters and at home in May 2024!
For daily reminders about new horror releases, be sure to follow @HorrorCalendar.
I Saw The TV Glow – May 3 (Limited), May 17 (Wide)
Fresh off the haunting and singularly creepy indie We’re All Going to the World’s Fair, Jane Schoenbrun is back with A24‘s I Saw the TV Glow, releasing only in theaters May 3.
In I Saw the TV Glow, “Owen is just trying to make it through life in the suburbs when his classmate introduces him to a mysterious TV show — a vision of a supernatural world beneath their own.
- 4/29/2024
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Exclusive: London-based Alliance Media Partners (Amp) has hired Anthony Buckner as Head of Sales, Acquisitions and Distribution in the run up to the Cannes market.
Former Icon and Kaleidoscope exec Buckner will be overseeing the company’s Cannes slate of genre titles and will be tasked with expansion. He is taking over from longtime Amp partner and sales vet James Norrie who has exited the company.
Amp, founded in 2017 as a production, financing and sales company, is the media arm of Alliance Capital Partners group, a private asset management and finance company based in Dubai. Current titles include The Morrigan with Toby Stephens and sci fi thriller New Life.
Buckner has sold movies including The Passion of the Christ, Apocalypto, How I Spent My summer Vacation, Coriolanus, Prevenge, Hurricane and Creation Stories.
He spent 15 years at Icon before stints at Magnolia Pictures, Red Bull’s Terra Mater Factual Studios, Kaleidoscope,...
Former Icon and Kaleidoscope exec Buckner will be overseeing the company’s Cannes slate of genre titles and will be tasked with expansion. He is taking over from longtime Amp partner and sales vet James Norrie who has exited the company.
Amp, founded in 2017 as a production, financing and sales company, is the media arm of Alliance Capital Partners group, a private asset management and finance company based in Dubai. Current titles include The Morrigan with Toby Stephens and sci fi thriller New Life.
Buckner has sold movies including The Passion of the Christ, Apocalypto, How I Spent My summer Vacation, Coriolanus, Prevenge, Hurricane and Creation Stories.
He spent 15 years at Icon before stints at Magnolia Pictures, Red Bull’s Terra Mater Factual Studios, Kaleidoscope,...
- 4/25/2024
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Newly released is the first trailer for the thriller, New Life, the directing debut of Emmy-award-winning journalist John Rosman. Rosman was one of Filmmaker‘s 2023 25 New Faces, selected on the basis of this film, which Erik Luers described thusly: “A tale of two women—one being chased, the other a fixer doing the chasing—New Life is a pandemic-era horror film that rewards its audience with gory twists and a surprisingly heartfelt center.” One of the film’s two lead characters faces Als, a subject Rosman covered for PBS while a journalist. Of the journey of his Fantasia-premiering film’s characters, Rosman said, “One […]
The post Trailer Watch: 25 New Face Filmmaker John Rosman’s New Life first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Trailer Watch: 25 New Face Filmmaker John Rosman’s New Life first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 4/22/2024
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Newly released is the first trailer for the thriller, New Life, the directing debut of Emmy-award-winning journalist John Rosman. Rosman was one of Filmmaker‘s 2023 25 New Faces, selected on the basis of this film, which Erik Luers described thusly: “A tale of two women—one being chased, the other a fixer doing the chasing—New Life is a pandemic-era horror film that rewards its audience with gory twists and a surprisingly heartfelt center.” One of the film’s two lead characters faces Als, a subject Rosman covered for PBS while a journalist. Of the journey of his Fantasia-premiering film’s characters, Rosman said, “One […]
The post Trailer Watch: 25 New Face Filmmaker John Rosman’s New Life first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Trailer Watch: 25 New Face Filmmaker John Rosman’s New Life first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 4/22/2024
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
It’s fascinating to witness the cross-cultural admiration between King and Ed Sheeran. Their potential collaboration holds promise for creating captivating music that transcends borders and resonates with fans worldwide. King’s track record of collaborating with diverse international artists demonstrates his versatility and willingness to explore new musical horizons. With Ed Sheeran’s immense popularity and King’s rising prominence, their collaboration could undoubtedly be a treat for music enthusiasts everywhere. Let’s hope for an announcement soon that will thrill fans eagerly awaiting this exciting partnership.
Speaking to an entertainment portal, Ed Sheeran showered praise on King and expressed his thoughts on collaborating with him. He said, “It would be King. He has been making waves lately, and he is a very good artist.”
Well, here’s wishing that King and Ed Sheeran are reading this and soon surprise us with their collab announcement. Speaking of King, the...
Speaking to an entertainment portal, Ed Sheeran showered praise on King and expressed his thoughts on collaborating with him. He said, “It would be King. He has been making waves lately, and he is a very good artist.”
Well, here’s wishing that King and Ed Sheeran are reading this and soon surprise us with their collab announcement. Speaking of King, the...
- 3/13/2024
- by Editorial Desk
- GlamSham
Lori Loughlin won the Grace Prize for A Christmas Blessing and Super Mario Bros. Movie was named Best Family Film at the 31st annual Movieguide Faith & Values Awards Gala & Report. The broadcast aired this evening on Great American Family.
Movie and television winners of the night included:
Best Family Movie – Super Mario Bros Movie
Best Family TV– A Paris Christmas Waltz
Best Movie for Mature Audiences– Jesus Revolution
Best TV for Mature Audiences– Chicago P.D. “New Life”
Faith & Freedom Award for Movies – Sound of Freedom
Faith & Freedom Award for TV – A Million Miles Away
Grace Prize for Movie Performance – Dennis Quaid for “On a Wing and a Prayer”
Grace Prize for TV Performance – Lori Loughlin for “A Christmas Blessing”
Visionary Award- Brad Krevoy, Emmy Award-Winning Producer
Epiphany Prize for TV – Divine Influencer
Epiphany Prize for Movies – Journey to Bethlehem
The event was hosted by Great American Family’s Trevor Donovan and Danica McKellar,...
Movie and television winners of the night included:
Best Family Movie – Super Mario Bros Movie
Best Family TV– A Paris Christmas Waltz
Best Movie for Mature Audiences– Jesus Revolution
Best TV for Mature Audiences– Chicago P.D. “New Life”
Faith & Freedom Award for Movies – Sound of Freedom
Faith & Freedom Award for TV – A Million Miles Away
Grace Prize for Movie Performance – Dennis Quaid for “On a Wing and a Prayer”
Grace Prize for TV Performance – Lori Loughlin for “A Christmas Blessing”
Visionary Award- Brad Krevoy, Emmy Award-Winning Producer
Epiphany Prize for TV – Divine Influencer
Epiphany Prize for Movies – Journey to Bethlehem
The event was hosted by Great American Family’s Trevor Donovan and Danica McKellar,...
- 3/8/2024
- by The Deadline Team
- Deadline Film + TV
From the producers of Something in the Dirt and The Mortuary Collection comes New Life, a tense thriller of apocalyptic proportions. Bloody Disgusting can exclusively announce that Brainstorm Media has acquired the horror thriller for North American release after an acclaimed festival run.
Look for New Life to receive a theatrical and Digital release this Spring 2024, release date Tba.
The feature debut by writer/director John Rosman stars Sonya Walger, Hayley Erin (“Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists”), and Tony Amendola (Annabelle, The Curse of La Llorona).
New Life follows “a mysterious woman on the run (Hayley Erin) and the resourceful fixer assigned to bring her in (Sonya Walger). As their two stories inexorably link, the stakes of their pursuit rise to apocalyptic proportions.”
Director John Rosman said of the acquisition, “From our first conversation, Brainstorm has been exceptionally collaborative and creative. I feel lucky that our project landed a team...
Look for New Life to receive a theatrical and Digital release this Spring 2024, release date Tba.
The feature debut by writer/director John Rosman stars Sonya Walger, Hayley Erin (“Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists”), and Tony Amendola (Annabelle, The Curse of La Llorona).
New Life follows “a mysterious woman on the run (Hayley Erin) and the resourceful fixer assigned to bring her in (Sonya Walger). As their two stories inexorably link, the stakes of their pursuit rise to apocalyptic proportions.”
Director John Rosman said of the acquisition, “From our first conversation, Brainstorm has been exceptionally collaborative and creative. I feel lucky that our project landed a team...
- 3/5/2024
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
Rapper King, who is currently making waves with his latest single ‘Sarkaare’ has received much love on his birthday from fans. In a special request to his fans, the singer has asked his fans to do an act of philanthropy, which for him will be enough of a birthday present.
The ‘Maan Meri Jaan’ is celebrating his birthday on Tuesday in much style and complimenting that, the singer is being showered with immense love from fans worldwide.
The rapper requested his fans to help the poor, needy, and the underprivileged strata of society with their money, instead of using it to buy and send gifts to him.
Taking to his social media handle, King wrote: “Instead of sending me gifts, my well-wishers can help the needy ones on 10/10. Honestly, that will be the best gift for me. Thank you.”
Since his birthday came, the ‘Tu Aake Dekhle’ hitmaker’s social...
The ‘Maan Meri Jaan’ is celebrating his birthday on Tuesday in much style and complimenting that, the singer is being showered with immense love from fans worldwide.
The rapper requested his fans to help the poor, needy, and the underprivileged strata of society with their money, instead of using it to buy and send gifts to him.
Taking to his social media handle, King wrote: “Instead of sending me gifts, my well-wishers can help the needy ones on 10/10. Honestly, that will be the best gift for me. Thank you.”
Since his birthday came, the ‘Tu Aake Dekhle’ hitmaker’s social...
- 10/10/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
Rapper King, who is currently making waves with his latest single ‘Sarkaare’ has received much love on his birthday from fans. In a special request to his fans, the singer has asked his fans to do an act of philanthropy, which for him will be enough of a birthday present.
The ‘Maan Meri Jaan’ is celebrating his birthday on Tuesday in much style and complimenting that, the singer is being showered with immense love from fans worldwide.
The rapper requested his fans to help the poor, needy, and the underprivileged strata of society with their money, instead of using it to buy and send gifts to him.
Taking to his social media handle, King wrote: “Instead of sending me gifts, my well-wishers can help the needy ones on 10/10. Honestly, that will be the best gift for me. Thank you.”
Since his birthday came, the ‘Tu Aake Dekhle’ hitmaker’s social...
The ‘Maan Meri Jaan’ is celebrating his birthday on Tuesday in much style and complimenting that, the singer is being showered with immense love from fans worldwide.
The rapper requested his fans to help the poor, needy, and the underprivileged strata of society with their money, instead of using it to buy and send gifts to him.
Taking to his social media handle, King wrote: “Instead of sending me gifts, my well-wishers can help the needy ones on 10/10. Honestly, that will be the best gift for me. Thank you.”
Since his birthday came, the ‘Tu Aake Dekhle’ hitmaker’s social...
- 10/10/2023
- by Agency News Desk
Stars: Sonya Walger, Hayley Erin, Tony Amendola | Written and Directed by John Rosman
New Life is a low-key ground-floor beginning of-the-apocalypse thriller. A character-driven piece of one woman’s fight to evade capture and another woman’s race to find her. Told from two very uniquely distinctive perspectives worlds apart yet not so different.
As a lover of the “end of the world” genre I’m always keen to see projects dealing with the beginnings of the event. Yes, sometimes times they can be snooze fests like Side Effects but when done right you get movies like Outbreak. You could also go full musical and give the world Anna and the Apocalypse (my favourite Xmas movie). Where does New Life fit in though?
We follow Jessie (Hayley Erin) who after a chance meeting with a pooch that has recently escaped the lab, she unknowingly contracts a rare string of the Ebola virus.
New Life is a low-key ground-floor beginning of-the-apocalypse thriller. A character-driven piece of one woman’s fight to evade capture and another woman’s race to find her. Told from two very uniquely distinctive perspectives worlds apart yet not so different.
As a lover of the “end of the world” genre I’m always keen to see projects dealing with the beginnings of the event. Yes, sometimes times they can be snooze fests like Side Effects but when done right you get movies like Outbreak. You could also go full musical and give the world Anna and the Apocalypse (my favourite Xmas movie). Where does New Life fit in though?
We follow Jessie (Hayley Erin) who after a chance meeting with a pooch that has recently escaped the lab, she unknowingly contracts a rare string of the Ebola virus.
- 9/12/2023
- by Kevin Haldon
- Nerdly
Hayley Erin in New Life
Recently screened at Fantasia and now on its way to Frightfest, John Rosman’s New Life follows a woman called Jessica – and for the first 40 minutes or so, that’s all we know. It’s a film which packs in some major twists and turns. Whilst i strove to keep my review spoiler-free, there are some minor spoilers in this interview, so if you want to see the film completely fresh, you may prefer to wait and read this afterwards. If you do choose to read on, don’t worry too much – the film will still have some surprises in store for you.
One of those spoilers is that Elsa is afflicted by Als (more commonly known in...
Recently screened at Fantasia and now on its way to Frightfest, John Rosman’s New Life follows a woman called Jessica – and for the first 40 minutes or so, that’s all we know. It’s a film which packs in some major twists and turns. Whilst i strove to keep my review spoiler-free, there are some minor spoilers in this interview, so if you want to see the film completely fresh, you may prefer to wait and read this afterwards. If you do choose to read on, don’t worry too much – the film will still have some surprises in store for you.
One of those spoilers is that Elsa is afflicted by Als (more commonly known in...
- 8/19/2023
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Nearly a year and a half has passed since we heard that Sonya Walger (For All Mankind) had signed on to star in the cat and mouse horror thriller New Life with Hayley Erin of Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists, and Tony Amendola – who was in both the Conjuring Universe film Annabelle and the Conjuring Universe adjacent The Curse of La Llorona. New Life recently made its premiere at the Fantasia film festival, where our own Tyler Nichols got to check it out, resulting in a 7/10 review you can read Here. We included the teaser trailer in that review, but just in case you overlooked it, this seemed like a good time to put a spotlight on it, since New Life is now set to screen at FrightFest in London in just a week and a half, on Friday, August 25th.
This film marks the feature debut of writer/director John Rosman.
This film marks the feature debut of writer/director John Rosman.
- 8/14/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
John Rosman's "New Life" is a blistering multidimensional thriller that hits from all directions — the kind of debut filmmakers dream about. It messes with you psychologically, stokes existential dread, and drips with bodily liquids worth repulsive physical effects. Where some first features hinge on a sole signature that pulls audiences through less accomplished elements, "New Life" exposes few weaknesses. Rossman creates a small-scale apocalypse movie that becomes achingly intimate despite the threat of worldwide eradication, weighing the disease of one against the infection of many in ways unexplored by notable comparison points like Danny Boyle's "28 Days Later" or the Pastor brothers' "Carriers."
Sonya Walger stars as all-star fixer Elsa Gray, whose sunset years have been tainted by an Als diagnosis. Hayley Erin plays Jessica Murdock, a mysterious woman running from Elsa toward the Canadian border. It's all we know at the film's onset — Jessica is fleeing from an ailing special agent,...
Sonya Walger stars as all-star fixer Elsa Gray, whose sunset years have been tainted by an Als diagnosis. Hayley Erin plays Jessica Murdock, a mysterious woman running from Elsa toward the Canadian border. It's all we know at the film's onset — Jessica is fleeing from an ailing special agent,...
- 8/9/2023
- by Matt Donato
- Slash Film
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